Verdict on Rathore's plea in Ruchika case deferred till May 25

The district and sessions court in Chandigarh on Thursday deferred its judgment till May 25 in the molestation case of teenager Ruchika Girhotra by disgraced former Haryana police chief SPS Rathore.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh, who heard the arguments continuously on day-to-day basis for eight days, said the judgment will be pronounced on May 25 (next Tuesday).

The order of the court came after Rathore, a former director general of police (DGP) in Haryana, filed a plea January this year challenging his conviction December last year by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Chandigarh for molesting 15-year-old Ruchika August 12, 1990.

Rathore was sentenced to six months' rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000 by the CBI special court. However, he was immediately granted bail.

Ruchika's father SC Girhotra, who was present in the court Thursday, said that he was not disappointed at the judgment being deferred.

"We are not disappointed. It is just a matter of 4-5 days. Justice will be done. Rathore will be punished. There is nothing wrong in the judgment delay. Such things happen in courts. Maybe, the judge wanted more time to write the judgment which should be a long one," he said.

Anand Parkash, main complainant in this case, said: "We are expecting maximum jail-term for Rathore. He deserves no mercy from any quarter and we have full belief in Indian judiciary."

Anand Parkash's daughter Aradhana, who has now migrated to Australia, was the only eyewitness in this case.

The CBI had opposed Rathore's plea and had sought an enhancement of his sentence from six months to the maximum of two years after his conviction.

The CBI special court had held Rathore guilty December last year for molesting Ruchika, a budding tennis player, in Panchkula town nearly two decades ago.

Ruchika committed suicide three years later in Panchkula town, adjoining Chandigarh, following her and her family's continuous harassment by Rathore, a powerful police officer in Haryana.